What are the must-see breweries in Scott's Addition besides The Veil. Was thinking Bingo, Ardent, Vasen. Also, making a stop at The Answer. Thanks
If your plan is to mostly stay in Scott's addition, that's a fine list. There are a few others that are just ok, but Veil/Vasen/Ardent is a nice trio. Black Heath if you are into mead. If you can, I would recommend prioritizing a visit to Triple Crossing, the downtown location is less than 10 mins away from SA and worth the trip.
I like that list. Ardent, Bingo, Vasen would be my 3 after Veil. If you're into Mead then Black Heath also and Hardwood's original location on Ownby Ln is right next to SA too. If you venture beyond SA then definitely Final Gravity and Triple Crossing.
I mean those are all good, particularly The Veil. The Answer can be hit or miss. but the best brewery in Richmond, and I don’t think it’s particularly close, is Triple Crossing, so I’d suggest a visit.
I couldn't agree more! Answer and Veil get the hype from non-locals. I personally think Veil puts out waaay too many different beers on a regular basis which to me are hit or miss and not enough of putting out their so called flagships as those tend to be consistently dialed in when they release. I also don't like the profile of most of their IPAs. I'm not local if you consider an hour away and don't get there very often now but my guaranteed stops whenever I go to RVA is Triple Crossing and Final Gravity if I only have time for 1-2 and then Answer or Veil if I want to grab a couple 4pks to bring home. I would even put Richbrau in that top 3 list as well above Veil and Answer.
@grees20 I think it also depends what day you're going. When I went to RVA pre-pandemic (2019), we spent a Saturday in SA and The Veil was by far the worst experience in that there were so many people there, long waits for beer, just an overall there to be seen scene. It was one and done for us. Worth visiting (I might go when I visit tentatively tomorrow) but not the best experience from a hanging out and trying their beer stand point. We're specifically thinking SA tomorrow to avoid the weekend hoopla. I should add that there was like a halloween bar crawl going on so it was especially crowded that weekend. I am a big fan of Ardent. They just make really good beer without trying to attention grab. More chill environment too. We missed Bingo last time, but they also make great beer. With both of those breweries, it's worth stating that their lineup is going to be more well rounded (lagers, saisons, etc). I had a good time at Vasen which was crowded but not overwhelmingly so. They too have a well rounded tap list. TCB and FG are probably the new to me breweries I'm most excited about visiting.
Final Gravity is the best "secret" brewery in RVA... they fly way under the radar. Probably because they're not dropped in Scott's Addition like most of the other breweries.
Good article laying out every brewery in the RVA area broken out by geographic region if you're into a little extra reading.... https://www.pastemagazine.com/drink...guide-rva-the-veil-triple-crossing-hardywood/
I would recommend making reservations if you're planning to spend significant time at any breweries. We lucked out because we went at open for Ardent and much later The Veil. It wasn't wild like the before times, but it was decently crowded in that neighborhood. The folks at The Veil were exceedingly nice, but the Broz Broz and the Master Master I had both had some to a lot of vegetal hop burn. The Suffer was good. They were moving stuff around so there were fewer tables available. We headed out after a round and a half (not that we would've stayed longer).
Next time hit up the Veil's Forest Hill location, the birria tacos are bomb, personally thought they were better than birria landia in NYC which is the OG truck that started this whole east coast birria craze.
This might be better to take to the Other forum, but I'm not the biggest birria fan. It's good, don't get me wrong. But it's super rich and more for the eyes than the taste buds. I'll definitely try to check out next time. I went to Triple Crossing (Fulton) yesterday and could have spent all day there. I'm gonna probably have to get another shipping order from them the next time they have a lager or two available. Bohem, the beer I ordered but they ran out of before shipping to me (they refunded me and sent Banner, which I enjoyed), was absolutely sensational. I had a lot of good beers this weekend, but that one stood out. Everybody tells me that their lagers are sensational and I'm a believer. Was able to stop at Final Gravity to pick up some crowlers on the way out too. Been pleased with what I have had so far.
I don't see anyone mentioning Strangeways, but the list online looks great. Are they not well regarded? I'm downtown and can maybe talk the family into 1-2 stops. Don't care about hazy IPAs so not so concerned about the Veil. More important would be a place the family and I could grab a table and play a game while hanging out versus a packed place.
Strangeways is ok. My experience going there is: They have a lot of beers on tap, plenty of them sound good, but their shooting percentage wasn’t great. Maybe someone here loves them but most people I know just don’t recommend them because they like other places more, not that Strangeways is bad.
Stop into Bingo Beer. Food is good, arcade games for kids and their Lagers are some of the best in RVA.
Bingo is the "Precarious" of RVA... though Precarious may have (arguably) better beer. I've enjoyed all the 4 packs I've got from Bingo... but when I visited, that place got loud/crazy/kids bouncing around.
Bingo's Black Lager is up there with anyone else's. I think that they make good lagers overall (haven't had anything else from them). In a town with Ardent and Triple Crossing though, I think they're third best. The other offering I find quite unique is Dry Crispy if it's available. It's made with Koji rice and is a collaboration with my favorite restaurant in RVA (Saison).
Richmond is a great place. I know it well. Go see Mr Bojangles statue on the way down to Hollywood Cemetary down on The James River.
